Is JMF a failed concept ? basic question

Question

I have been researching to embed a JMF app on an applet for nearly 2 months. i have also read most questions on this forums thats related to this topic.
Almost every one says to use java web start than using an applet. and most of the people in the forum has not got a solution to there problem, that is to add audio/video chat to an applet.
I too have a issue in adding a audio/video chat to an applet. but still almost every one encouraged me to use java webstart.
Further more there are no successful example in the net where you can add a audio/video chat into an applet. Most of the sample code given don't even work.
My problem is that, Why doesn't jmf work on applets ?? have some one tried using this method, and has it worked ?? and why does people in this forum encourage others to use java web start instead of applets ? and finally does sun want to turn down the concept of using applets ???
note: I might had asked a stupid question, if so my apologies._

Answer 1

The cross-platform version of JMF works just fine in embedded applets(1), it is the Performance Pack that can be a hassle to get working. The JMF PP would need to be installed on the users computer, to get the natives in a place they can be used.
Having said that, the "This computer needs to reboot" message at the end of the JMF installer puts a bit of a damper on that. Who wants to use an applet that requires them to reboot the PC before use?
Also, I've heard that even after that, many users visit the JMF test applet to have it report that the JMF classes are not found. Since I have little interest in deploying the PP to end users, I have never looked into it that closely.
localpott wrote:
..Almost every one says to use java web start than using an applet. Humour me. Why do your users want a browser window wrapped around the applet?
It seems logical to me, that the end user should just be able to click the maximize icon in a free floating app., rather than have the screen acreage of the GUI limited by a conventional applet.
My problem is that, Why doesn't jmf work on applets ??Please fix that sticky '?' key.
Reasons mentioned above. To contrast that with a webstart launch, it is trivially easy to add natives to the run-time class-path of a webstart app.
.. have some one tried using this method, and has it worked ??.. I've not tried it for the reasons mentioned above.
..and why does people in this forum encourage others to use java web start instead of applets ? (My) reasons mentioned above.
..and finally does sun want to turn down the concept of using applets ???Given the effort Sun is pouring into the jnlp2 architecture, which allows webstart services to be used even in embedded applets, I think not.
It should be noted though, that Sun has abandoned JMF a long time ago (though they have never issued an announcement to that effect). :(
As such:
a) It is lacking in the more advanced compression codecs, which it seems would be a killer for network/internet based media transfer.
b) Nobody is updating the (32 bit) natives, so I guess they will work on less and less PCs as time goes on.
Those two things aside, I feel that JMF is a relatively well engineered & comprehensive media solution. The reason so many people have trouble getting up to speed in JMF is largely because 'media handling' is a lot more complex than most people realise. I probably should have asked those people who complained about JMF, if they had ever dealt with the intricacies of media handling in another API for anything beyond 'throw a media file into the system player and play it'. Playing a media file would probably be trivially easy in VB.
And finally:
Sub: Is JMF a failed concept ? *<basic question>*
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